Assessment of Prevalence, Treatment and Control of Lameness-related Disease in Dairy Heifers on 30 Farms in Southwest Britain

The prevalence of lameness in dairy cows in the UK remained high through the 1990s with estimates of 21% in 1989-91 (Clarkson and others 1996) and 22% in 2001 (Whay and others 2002). The Farm Animal Welfare Council report (1997) highlighted lameness as a major welfare problem. This study is being carried out to establish the level of improvement in lameness prevalence in primiparous dairy heifers that can be achieved through the implementation of lameness control plans tailored to the individual farm. The complete study will involve 60 herds, 30 calving during the winter housing period and 30 calving at pasture in spring and summer. This preliminary report presents results from the winterhousing group ...